Every one of us has experienced having to go to a new school after we finished our time at the last one. Some of us excited to start a new chapter in our life, some of us nervous about the unknown.
Indeed, change can seem scary because sometimes everything seems to be going well in our lives and we don’t want things to change. However, change can bring new opportunities, experiences, and friendships/other relationships we didn’t think we would ever have.
With this being in mind, I would like to present four tips that will help any new or returning college student embrace change in college.
1. Appreciate the opportunities you are given
All of us at some point have experienced waiting on a hiring manager to get back to us on a job offer or waiting to see if we won a scholarship we applied for. We tend to focus more on the small things that don’t go our way and look past things that’ll be valuable to us in the future.
Although we don’t always get back the results we wanted, we shouldn’t give up. In fact, sometimes, we might have already received good news such as getting accepted into our dream school or getting an internship we’ve been desperately wanting to get.
2. Embrace your school
Did you go to a high school where everyone, for the most part, looked the same, listened to the same music, and acted the same? If so, I’m sure you found it comforting being surrounded by people interested in the same things you were.
However, once you graduate from high school, more than likely those same people you enjoyed hanging out with will probably not follow you off to college or get employed at the same company as you.
What I would recommend is embrace your new school. Show school spirit by going out to a few of your school’s games, buying your school’s paraphernalia, and attending any events you find interesting. You’ll have a better time in college if you get involved.
3. Be open to meeting new people
Meeting new people can sometimes be difficult, especially if you go to an organization meeting where you don’t know anyone’s names at first until you break up for an icebreaker activity where you engage in small talk with others.
In this case, I would recommend keeping an open mind when talking to new people. If you can, introduce yourself to someone first or let people come to you. After all, people say that you’ll meet your lifelong friends when you’re in college and honestly, I can say that I couldn’t agree more at the moment.
4. Step out of your comfort zone
Introverts, I am looking at you for this one. Stepping out of your comfort zone will not only allow you to meet new people as stated above, but it will also allow you to discover new things about yourself you didn’t know you could do before.
As an introvert myself, I find it rewarding when I raise my hand in class or during a club meeting and share my thoughts on a question the professor or club advisor asks.
Although my heart starts to beat fast and I start doubting myself after I shared my idea(s) with everyone, practice is key to getting comfortable with being yourself around others not like you.
Enjoy college as much as possible. College is stressful, it will make you doubt yourself. But remember to take breaks when needed, balance your social life with your work life, and remember to have fun too.